Ephialtes
by secretsoftheood
Summary: Two men awake, both seeking to comfort, one a brother and one a father. or One night, Mr Pevensie notices something weird about his sons. part one of "Adapting" series.


It shouldn't be loud enough to wake anyone and yet he's awake.

The sound of his brother struggling through his sleep in the other room is barely noticeable, and yet Edmund wakes. They had once discussed their ability to sense each other's unease and put it down to their shared experiences. There was a time when they would share a tent space, taking sleeping shifts through the night to ease their minds of a surprise attack. While they no longer shared a sleeping space, both remained light sleepers, always listening for one another's distress or a threat of any kind.

And so, when Edmund woke up in the middle of the night he scanned the room he was in, noting the absence of the canopy bed, and made his way to his brother's room. In the time it took him to walk across the hallway to Peter's room the cries had turned into yells, and he was vaguely aware that his parents would be able to hear it now. It's a thought that shouldn't be foreign to him, and yet the idea that his parents will be able to hear Peter's cries strikes him as wrong. They hadn't heard them while they were away; they hadn't been there when either sibling relived terrible battles in their sleep and awoke to the other holding them.

Edmund opened his brother's door and felt his stomach clench at the sight of Peter, the High King himself, wrestling his blankets and crying out. Clasping of his brother's hands between his own Edmund began to reassure Peter, "It's not real brother."

He made out a few muttered words from Peter, enough to realize what memories were gripping him so. It was one of the battles they had had with the giants and if Edmund was right, and he usually was about these things, Peter was remembering just how close they had been to loosing each other. Edmund placed a chaste kiss on his brother's hand which was clenched against his own, so much so that their knuckles were both white.

"You're safe now." Edmund promised, watching his brother's eyes flicker as his breathing slowed down. With a jolt Peter sat up, Edmund's name falling from his lips.

"I'm here." Edmund reminded him softly. Peter's eyes scanned his brother, and Edmund knew he was looking for wounds that were healed long ago. "I'm okay Peter."

Peter's eyes flickered between Edmund and the room they were in. His breathing was uneven but he seemed to be calming down. "London." Peter sighed. "We're in London."

Edmund gave him a wry smile. "That's right Peter, we're back."

Running his fingers through his sweat drenched hair, Peter gave his little brother a weak smile. "Sorry 'bout this Ed, you should be sleeping." He said, pointedly ignoring the scoff he received in response.

There was a moment of silence as both brothers took in each other's presence; that they were both here together, and alive. Peter shuffled to the right of his bed, a silent invitation which Edmund took. The two lay on the bed, arms around each other, and thought of the days of old. If Edmund noticed Peter's arm trembling against his right side -where a spear had once caught him by surprise- he didn't mention it. He knew very well that most of Peter's nightmares weren't of his own brushes with death, but of his siblings' and subjects'.

"I'm alive brother." Edmund's voice was soft.

"I know Ed," Peter tried to hide the tremble from his brother, "I know."

* * *

Collin Pevensie stood in the doorway, unsure.

After five years at war he found himself awake most nights, if not from his own memories then from some small noise alarming him. Tonight, it had been the cry of his eldest son that awoke him. It had alarmed him when he realized his son was having a night terror, as out of his four children Peter had had the least bad dreams, let alone ones as bad as he was having. As he had stumbled out of bed, careful not to wake his wife, he wondered what could be causing such a reaction from his eldest.

When he opened his bedroom, he noticed Peter's cries had stopped. He felt relief at the quiet but continued his way down the corridor. As he neared Peter's room he heard hushed voices. After a moment of listening he realized it was Peter and Edmund talking. It struck him odd that Edmund would wake up before himself, as he remembered Edmund to be a heavy sleeper.

He didn't mean to stand just out of sight and listen. He was going to come in and check on his two sons, but he stood rooted to the spot. The genuine concern he heard from both siblings made him think. In the last few years their relationship had been rocky at best, but as he heard Edmund reassure his brother that he was alive -another thing that confused and concerned him- he realized that the two brothers where closer than he had realized.

Collin didn't know why Edmund kept reassuring Peter he was safe and alive, but he had a feeling it had something to do with their trip to the country. His wife had mentioned it changed them in many ways, but as he saw his two sons lay in bed holding each other for comfort he wondered -not for the first time- what the cost was.

Feeling a confusing sense of guilt for what he covertly witnessed, he turned and made his way back down the hallway, trying to make sense of his thoughts on what he had seen.


End file.
